Elfego George Baca Jr.

Elfego George “George” Baca, Jr., 84, passed away Thursday, October 13, 2016 at Saint Catherine’s in Albuquerque, NM from complications related to his pulmonary fibrosis.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Virginia “Ginny” Baca (née Marx); his son, Chris Baca, and his wife, Ann, and their children, Kalin, Kolten, and Kilah; his daughter, Anne Nelson, and her husband, Erik, and their children, Danika and Anders; his son, Paul-Baptiste Baca, and his wife, Eveliina, and their children, Kaisa-Tinuviel, Hanna-Shau’rei, and Viivi-Amarie; his sisters, Pauline Garcia and Norena Castillo; a prodigious extended family; and many friends.

Born in Pueblitos and raised in Belen, the son of Elfego George Baca, Sr. and Florela Baca (née Castillo), he was a lifelong resident of New Mexico. After graduating from Belen High School in 1950 he spent six months as a goodwill ambassador in Brazil with the International 4-H Youth Exchange program. George served in the Army’s 8th Infantry “Golden Arrow” Division from 1955-56. He attended New Mexico State University, College of St. Joseph on the Rio Grande (1955, Bachelor of Science), and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (1960, Master of Social Work). He met his wife, Ginny Marx, while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and they were married in 1960 at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Columbus, Nebraska. Dedicating his life to education, George worked tirelessly throughout New Mexico to help educate and enlighten. His diverse and fascinating professional life included working as a teacher, Director of Catholic Social Services, a social worker for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Director of the New Mexico League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Educational Service Center, founder and director of many daycare centers in Albuquerque, including Kiddie Kollege, and working as a professional consultant for non-profit education throughout New Mexico. He not only took pride in his professional life, but truly relished the friends he made while working. He spent his life in service to his family, his friends, and his larger family, the whole world.

Open, loving, caring, George lived his life Transparent As Glass
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A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 11:00 AM at Daniels Family Funeral Services-Wyoming Chapel, 7601 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque.

Donations in George’s memory can be made to Bosque School, 4000 Learning Rd. NW, ABQ, NM 87120. Texico Schools, PO Box 237, Texico, NM 88135 and Alice King Foundation, 8100 Mountain Rd NE, ABQ, NM 87110.